PET PEEVES (Eph 4:26)
It was a lovely Saturday morning and students of Gracious High School busied themselves with their morning duties."Just what kind of nonsense is this?",Kayode,an SS2 student and inmate of Leonard hostel exploded."People won't just respect themselves in this hostel.This is getting out of hand and I can't take it anymore!" Kayode's roommates and classmates, Ekene and Malik stopped whatever they were doing and stared at Kayode who was busy rummaging through his small shelf of books in the room."K-boy,what's wrong? Why are you sounding all worked up?",Ekene asked. With a tone that came out more harsh than he intended, Kayode snapped "Nothing!", then muttered to himself "the next thing now, someone will say 'that Kayode boy is always hot-tempered.' Why won't I be when people cannot ask for permission before taking what belongs to another." Seeing Kayode at his 'boiling point',Malik, who was the most timid of the four roommates was too afraid to ask or say anything lest the aggression be transferred on him.
Uche,the fourth roommate and the closest to Kayode, was currently at the recreation room of the hostel, reading a book he had taken out of Kayode's shelf and totally oblivious of the bout of anger his action had caused in his room. Kayode turned to Ekene,"Do you know who took my novel 'New York to Dallas' by J.D.Robb?" "No I don't",Ekene replied defensively. "What about you Malik?" "Me neither",Malik replied and felt a pang of guilt because he knew, but then,there was no telling what Kayode was capable of doing when angry. Just then, Uche walked in with a smile on his face, to Kayode's beside and said,"K-boy, thanks for the book; Nora Roberts under her new pseudonym is the bomb."Then he stretched the book towards Kayode, the smile still plastered on his face, he definitely didn't expect what happened next. The latter hit the book off his hand and retorted angrily,"So it was you who took this book from my shelf without my permission and you even find it funny to smile about!" Uche who at that time was still in shock, replied quietly,"But I always return your books whenever I take them; not like I steal them or anything", then quickly added,"And is that why you want to raze the hostel to the ground with your anger?" Then he picked the book from the floor, dropped it on Kayode's bed and went to his bed fuming. While all these were going on, they neither noticed when Jude came into the room to find out the cause of the noise, nor when he left. Jude Lawson was the class prefect of SS2B and one of the most respected students in Gracious High, well-known for his exceptional brilliance and wise counsels. He was an inmate of Lugard hostel and was on his way back from visiting a friend when the noise got his attention. Aside him, some other SS2 students had gathered in Room A32 hoping to witness at least one round of boxing that morning, but when it was obvious that they were going to be disappointed, they all dispersed to their original point of duty.
Later that evening, just before supper, Kayode was reading a book he borrowed from the school library the day before, when Jude walked into the room. Some other senior students were also in the room playing cards with Uche and Ekene, while Malik busied himself in a picture he was drawing. Jude exchanged pleasantries with them before walking up to Kayode, who was so engrossed in what he was doing."Hey K-boy, can I have few minutes of your time?" "Oh hey! Sure",Kayode answered with a note of concern, closing the book on his hands."I hope there is no problem?" Knowing Jude Lawson, he wasn't one to engage in idle talks, so whatever brought him all the way from his room must be of importance, Kayode reasoned. "Oh no, not really. I just want to talk to you about this morning's incident involving you and Uche.I was headed to my hostel when I heard your voice. That's by the way though. So have you ever spoken to anyone about your pet peeves?", Jude asked."Pet peeves?",Kayode asked in wonder,"I don't even know what that means." "Not a problem at all,"Jude said with a smile,"I just hope you're prepared for my little lecture.
A pet peeve is an annoyance that is nurtured like a pet-that is, one a person cannot resist complaining about. The word "peeve" on its own means "annoyance" or "disturbance".A pet peeve or pet aversion can therefore be defined as a minor annoyance which an individual identifies as particularly annoying to him, to a greater degree than others may find. The first usage of the phrase "Pet Peeve" was around 1919 and the term is a back-formation from the 14-century word "peevish" meaning "ill-tempered". Pet peeves often involve specific behaviors of someone close such as a friend, family member or significant other. These behaviors may involve manners, personal hygiene, relationships and family issues. A key aspect of a pet peeve is that it may seem acceptable to others, or they may find it annoying, but not to the same degree as the person in question. For instance, a supervisor may have a pet peeve about people interrupting when he is speaking or be upset by the messy desks of his subordinates, but totally ignore his knowledge of his employees' lateness to work.
In view of all these, science has been quite unable to figure out why we become annoyed in the first place. However, it is believed to be a likely evolutionary response which could be to protect us. For example, we may regard the man sniffing on the bus as annoying to us, because our body is trying to prevent an invasion of germs. Certain sounds cause us mental and physical discomfort because the body is trying to say "hey, this sound us probably not good for you; stay away from it." This reason however, has not been clearly defined.
Some of the most popular pet peeves are:
•Loud chewing or chewing with the mouth open
•People who are chronically late or make you run late while waiting for them
•People who scuff their feet while walking
•Taking your belongings without your permission
•People who don't cover their mouth when they cough
•People who use vulgar language
•People who talk over you when you're clearly still in the middle of the sentence
•People who don't silence their phones when they play a game in public
•People who feed off your plate without first asking
•People who read out loud while typing a message
Others include:
•People who refuse to accept their wrongs even when it is clear to all.
•People who habitually need "favors"
•People with bad table manners
•People misspelling/mispronouncing your name
•When you genuinely ask someone what's wrong (when something is obviously wrong) and they say "umm... nothing
•People listening to music their phone speakers instead of headphones
•People who abbreviate things that don't need to be shortened
•People who don't return things from where they got them
•When people spend more time on their phones during dinner than they do with people present at the table
•People who overuse quotes from movies or TV .etc.
"Wow!", someone exclaimed in the background, but Jude was too engrossed to notice. He continued,"It is important to know that everyone has their own pet peeves which no matter how strange they seem, should be respected. So if you ever cross a person's emotional territory, just apologize rather than argue that you are in the right."
Dealing with life's daily annoyance isn't always fun, but here are some tips that will hopefully make things a lot easier. I call them the 3A's.
1.ADMIT-Don't deny when something is annoying you. Admit what's bothering you even if only to yourself because constantly dismissing them would only result in more anger and frustration.
2. ADDRESS-If someone is doing something that is annoying, you could consider discussing the issue with them. You'll choose your battles wisely and be open to receiving feedbacks yourself. This is especially important if you live or work closely with the person.
3. ACCEPT-We can't possibly alleviate all annoyances and that's okay. People don't usually set out to annoy us. Annoyances are usually temporary-ask yourself it will really make an impact in your life an hour, day, month or a year from now?Hopefully not!So learn to accept that nobody,including you, is perfect-it would help you accept others better.
So you see?", Jude concluded,"people may not even know that they've annoyed you,yet you're dying inside." "That's nice!",Ekene exclaimed,"where did you learn all these?" Kayode was jolted back to his environment; he had been so engrossed listening to Jude that he didn't notice a small crowd has gathered by his bedside to listen too. Jude smiled and replied,"I was reading a book when I came back the phrase "pet peeve".I didn't know the meaning so I checked it up online and all these information came forth." "I dislike people interrupting me while I'm talking; which is why I rarely say anything,"Malik said."Me too",Lota, one of Kayode's friends in SS1 chipped in,"but the worst for me, is when people say nothing is wrong with them when it is clear to all and sundry that something is obviously wrong. They even make me seem foolish for caring to ask."
At that point, Uche who had not said anything all that time walked up to Kayode and said,"See guy, I'm sorry for this morning and every other time I'd taken what belongs to you without your permission. I didn't know you take it seriously. I won't do that again." Kayode simply smiled and replied,"No problem-it's all good. At least I got to learn a thing or two from the whole incident as well.", and to Jude,"Thanks for the lecture man, it really helped."At that, Jude chuckled,"Ah ah!C'mon, we all learn everyday, don't we? Catch you guys at the dining hall,"he added, just as the bell for supper chimed and everyone hurried to get their plates and cutlery.
It was a lovely Saturday morning and students of Gracious High School busied themselves with their morning duties."Just what kind of nonsense is this?",Kayode,an SS2 student and inmate of Leonard hostel exploded."People won't just respect themselves in this hostel.This is getting out of hand and I can't take it anymore!" Kayode's roommates and classmates, Ekene and Malik stopped whatever they were doing and stared at Kayode who was busy rummaging through his small shelf of books in the room."K-boy,what's wrong? Why are you sounding all worked up?",Ekene asked. With a tone that came out more harsh than he intended, Kayode snapped "Nothing!", then muttered to himself "the next thing now, someone will say 'that Kayode boy is always hot-tempered.' Why won't I be when people cannot ask for permission before taking what belongs to another." Seeing Kayode at his 'boiling point',Malik, who was the most timid of the four roommates was too afraid to ask or say anything lest the aggression be transferred on him.
Uche,the fourth roommate and the closest to Kayode, was currently at the recreation room of the hostel, reading a book he had taken out of Kayode's shelf and totally oblivious of the bout of anger his action had caused in his room. Kayode turned to Ekene,"Do you know who took my novel 'New York to Dallas' by J.D.Robb?" "No I don't",Ekene replied defensively. "What about you Malik?" "Me neither",Malik replied and felt a pang of guilt because he knew, but then,there was no telling what Kayode was capable of doing when angry. Just then, Uche walked in with a smile on his face, to Kayode's beside and said,"K-boy, thanks for the book; Nora Roberts under her new pseudonym is the bomb."Then he stretched the book towards Kayode, the smile still plastered on his face, he definitely didn't expect what happened next. The latter hit the book off his hand and retorted angrily,"So it was you who took this book from my shelf without my permission and you even find it funny to smile about!" Uche who at that time was still in shock, replied quietly,"But I always return your books whenever I take them; not like I steal them or anything", then quickly added,"And is that why you want to raze the hostel to the ground with your anger?" Then he picked the book from the floor, dropped it on Kayode's bed and went to his bed fuming. While all these were going on, they neither noticed when Jude came into the room to find out the cause of the noise, nor when he left. Jude Lawson was the class prefect of SS2B and one of the most respected students in Gracious High, well-known for his exceptional brilliance and wise counsels. He was an inmate of Lugard hostel and was on his way back from visiting a friend when the noise got his attention. Aside him, some other SS2 students had gathered in Room A32 hoping to witness at least one round of boxing that morning, but when it was obvious that they were going to be disappointed, they all dispersed to their original point of duty.
Later that evening, just before supper, Kayode was reading a book he borrowed from the school library the day before, when Jude walked into the room. Some other senior students were also in the room playing cards with Uche and Ekene, while Malik busied himself in a picture he was drawing. Jude exchanged pleasantries with them before walking up to Kayode, who was so engrossed in what he was doing."Hey K-boy, can I have few minutes of your time?" "Oh hey! Sure",Kayode answered with a note of concern, closing the book on his hands."I hope there is no problem?" Knowing Jude Lawson, he wasn't one to engage in idle talks, so whatever brought him all the way from his room must be of importance, Kayode reasoned. "Oh no, not really. I just want to talk to you about this morning's incident involving you and Uche.I was headed to my hostel when I heard your voice. That's by the way though. So have you ever spoken to anyone about your pet peeves?", Jude asked."Pet peeves?",Kayode asked in wonder,"I don't even know what that means." "Not a problem at all,"Jude said with a smile,"I just hope you're prepared for my little lecture.
A pet peeve is an annoyance that is nurtured like a pet-that is, one a person cannot resist complaining about. The word "peeve" on its own means "annoyance" or "disturbance".A pet peeve or pet aversion can therefore be defined as a minor annoyance which an individual identifies as particularly annoying to him, to a greater degree than others may find. The first usage of the phrase "Pet Peeve" was around 1919 and the term is a back-formation from the 14-century word "peevish" meaning "ill-tempered". Pet peeves often involve specific behaviors of someone close such as a friend, family member or significant other. These behaviors may involve manners, personal hygiene, relationships and family issues. A key aspect of a pet peeve is that it may seem acceptable to others, or they may find it annoying, but not to the same degree as the person in question. For instance, a supervisor may have a pet peeve about people interrupting when he is speaking or be upset by the messy desks of his subordinates, but totally ignore his knowledge of his employees' lateness to work.
In view of all these, science has been quite unable to figure out why we become annoyed in the first place. However, it is believed to be a likely evolutionary response which could be to protect us. For example, we may regard the man sniffing on the bus as annoying to us, because our body is trying to prevent an invasion of germs. Certain sounds cause us mental and physical discomfort because the body is trying to say "hey, this sound us probably not good for you; stay away from it." This reason however, has not been clearly defined.
Some of the most popular pet peeves are:
•Loud chewing or chewing with the mouth open
•People who are chronically late or make you run late while waiting for them
•People who scuff their feet while walking
•Taking your belongings without your permission
•People who don't cover their mouth when they cough
•People who use vulgar language
•People who talk over you when you're clearly still in the middle of the sentence
•People who don't silence their phones when they play a game in public
•People who feed off your plate without first asking
•People who read out loud while typing a message
Others include:
•People who refuse to accept their wrongs even when it is clear to all.
•People who habitually need "favors"
•People with bad table manners
•People misspelling/mispronouncing your name
•When you genuinely ask someone what's wrong (when something is obviously wrong) and they say "umm... nothing
•People listening to music their phone speakers instead of headphones
•People who abbreviate things that don't need to be shortened
•People who don't return things from where they got them
•When people spend more time on their phones during dinner than they do with people present at the table
•People who overuse quotes from movies or TV .etc.
"Wow!", someone exclaimed in the background, but Jude was too engrossed to notice. He continued,"It is important to know that everyone has their own pet peeves which no matter how strange they seem, should be respected. So if you ever cross a person's emotional territory, just apologize rather than argue that you are in the right."
Dealing with life's daily annoyance isn't always fun, but here are some tips that will hopefully make things a lot easier. I call them the 3A's.
1.ADMIT-Don't deny when something is annoying you. Admit what's bothering you even if only to yourself because constantly dismissing them would only result in more anger and frustration.
2. ADDRESS-If someone is doing something that is annoying, you could consider discussing the issue with them. You'll choose your battles wisely and be open to receiving feedbacks yourself. This is especially important if you live or work closely with the person.
3. ACCEPT-We can't possibly alleviate all annoyances and that's okay. People don't usually set out to annoy us. Annoyances are usually temporary-ask yourself it will really make an impact in your life an hour, day, month or a year from now?Hopefully not!So learn to accept that nobody,including you, is perfect-it would help you accept others better.
So you see?", Jude concluded,"people may not even know that they've annoyed you,yet you're dying inside." "That's nice!",Ekene exclaimed,"where did you learn all these?" Kayode was jolted back to his environment; he had been so engrossed listening to Jude that he didn't notice a small crowd has gathered by his bedside to listen too. Jude smiled and replied,"I was reading a book when I came back the phrase "pet peeve".I didn't know the meaning so I checked it up online and all these information came forth." "I dislike people interrupting me while I'm talking; which is why I rarely say anything,"Malik said."Me too",Lota, one of Kayode's friends in SS1 chipped in,"but the worst for me, is when people say nothing is wrong with them when it is clear to all and sundry that something is obviously wrong. They even make me seem foolish for caring to ask."
At that point, Uche who had not said anything all that time walked up to Kayode and said,"See guy, I'm sorry for this morning and every other time I'd taken what belongs to you without your permission. I didn't know you take it seriously. I won't do that again." Kayode simply smiled and replied,"No problem-it's all good. At least I got to learn a thing or two from the whole incident as well.", and to Jude,"Thanks for the lecture man, it really helped."At that, Jude chuckled,"Ah ah!C'mon, we all learn everyday, don't we? Catch you guys at the dining hall,"he added, just as the bell for supper chimed and everyone hurried to get their plates and cutlery.
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